


Pride

by Lilyyuri



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Boys In Love, Glitter, Lots of glitter, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Pride, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 08:44:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19373236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilyyuri/pseuds/Lilyyuri
Summary: Alec and Magnus go to the NYC Pride Parade.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Of course I don't own this, I barely own the laptop I'm writing on...
> 
>  **Author’s note:** So I started this little fic somewhere around January when it was cold and damp and I missed June. But of course it took me ages to write and instead of it being a fic to warm up my winter it was ready in time for the real Pride. 
> 
> I started writing this before the the second part of the third season aired so it doesn’t really match up the time line but it doesn’t really messes it either. No major spoilers of any kind.

Alec walked into the loft, humming softly with pleasure. It was always nice to come here, leave the institute and its problems behind for a couple of hours every day. He took off his jacket and boots, stepping into a pair of fluffy sleepers that Magnus bought for him so that he’d ‘stop stomping around like a drunk rhino- the neighbors been complaining’. But Alec didn’t really care because walking in those sleepers was like walking on clouds and it felt so good that he didn’t even mention the fact that the flat below was undergoing renovations and was currently empty. 

Walking around the loft Alec was looking for his wayward boyfriend. Usually around this time of day Magnus would be lounging in the living room, a cocktail in hand, unwinding from his long day and waiting for Alec’s return. But today the living room was empty, as was Magnus’ study. When he walked into the bedroom he was greeted with the delightful sight of Magnus’ butt sticking out of the closet and wriggling as the warlock was clearly looking for something in there. The floor, bed and pretty much every flat surface in the room was covered with discarded clothes, which suggested Magnus had been at it for a while. 

Alec walked further into the room, picking up clothes as he went along, knowing that Magnus will be furious if he stepped on them. Before he could announce his presence another garment flew through the air and landed squarely on his head. Alec sighed and cleared his throat loudly to gain Magnus’ attention. It worked. Magnus whirled around with wide eyes, seeing his boyfriend standing in the middle of the room looking like a Christmas tree trimmed with clothes- most of Magnus’ outfits had some sort of sparkle on them after all. Walking slowly over to the tall Nephilim Magnus gave his boyfriend an apologetic smile, reaching over to peel the shirt off his head and banishing the rest of the clothes back to the closet with a wave of his fingers. 

“I can’t seem to find anything to wear.” Magnus explained somewhat sheepishly as he leaned to kiss Alec hello. 

“Going somewhere special?” Alec inquired, wrapping his arms firmly around Magnus’ waist, keeping him close. He liked having Magnus in his arms like that, knowing that he could just hold and kiss this gorgeous man to his heart content, it still amazed Alec sometimes that he could. Besides, holding Magnus close meant he couldn’t assault him with clothes anymore, so that was a plus. 

“Pride.” Magnus said with a long suffering sigh. 

“Is… that a new club?” Alec asked, feeling the dread starting to spread. Magnus was a club owner, he was a socialite and a big part of his work demanded he go to clubs and Alec hated, absolutely hated doing that. It usually took Magnus a month before he could convince Alec to go to ‘Pandemonium’ and even then it was for a very brief time and Alec usually spent most of it complaining and sulking. It was a lot easier for Magnus to just take Izzy and actually have fun. 

“No, it’s a parade.” Magnus said with a teasing smile, letting Alec know he was totally reading him like an open book, 

“A Pride Parade?” Alec asked, why would you parade for pride? That didn’t make sense. 

“A gay one.” Magnus’ smile widened and he added with a wriggle of his eyebrows. This was fun, letting Alec figure things out on his own. 

“A Gay Pride Parade?” Alec was starting to get the idea and he wasn’t sure if he should freak out or not just yet. 

“Exactly!” Magnus said happily, causing Alec to roll his eyes, 

“And you’re going to this parade?” Magnus shrugged beautifully, his lips forming a little smile, 

“I go every year, but I was hoping this year, we will be going...” Alec’s first instinct was to flee, literally, just bolt from the loft and run all the way back to the institute, sleepers be damned! Sensing the way his boyfriend froze up and knowing how close he was to seeing only dust settle after Alec’s disappearance, Magnus tightened his hold of Alec and babbled happily, “I was going to take you out to a romantic dinner to ask you to come with me but I thought I’d get a head start on an outfit… and everything went downhill from there... We won’t be marching, by the way, just watching!” Alec felt the tension leaving his body slowly, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake as he came down from the adrenaline rush of his ‘fight or flight’ mode. Watching, he could do watching- he was good at watching! And he could do watching with Magnus, he would love to actually, this could be… fun… 

“OK.” Magnus leaned back a little, trying to see Alec’s face better, was the shadowhunter serious or was he just humoring Magnus so he would let his guard down and then Alec could bolt? 

“OK?” Alec shrugged, smiling softly at the confused yet utterly adorable expression on Magnus’ face,

“Yeah, it could be nice.” Even if he wasn’t entirely sure this plan was wise before, the smile that spread on Magnus’ face, the way it lit up his whole face made Alec realize it was the right call, this was clearly important to Magnus, and there was nothing Alec liked better than to make Magnus happy, so yeah, he’ll go and he’ll do his damned best to have fun. 

“It will be better than nice!” Magnus cried happily, “It’s going to be great!” Alec felt the smile tugging at his lips and stopped fighting it. He leaned over and caught Magnus’ lips with his own, Magnus immediately deepening the kiss to seal their deal. Hell yeah, this year’s pride was going to be epic! 

“I have one rule though,” Magnus said seriously as they broke apart, resting his palm on Alec’s chest and doing his best to fight the urge to dissolve the fabric so he could touch skin. It was a struggle, each and every time. Alec looked at his boyfriend suspiciously,

“What?” He drawled softly, hoping his consent wasn’t going to cost him too dearly, 

“You’re not allowed to wear black.” Magnus told his boyfriend with a no-nonsense voice. Alec blinked in surprise, 

“I’m not allowed?” He asked incredulously, was there like Pride Police or something, that made sure everyone was wearing rainbow colors? This was ridiculous! 

“You need more color,” Magnus argued, he was not going to back down on this- this was the perfect opportunity to get Alec in something other than black and he wasn’t about to waste it. Besides, his boyfriend was too tall as it was, and would mostly likely sulk for the majority of the time, if he also wore black he’d stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a sea of color. “It’ll help you blend in...” Magnus bit his lip in amusement seeing the struggle on Alec’s face, but he knew his argument was a winner, 

“Alright, fine...” Alec relented with a deep sigh and a roll of his eyes. At least Magnus didn’t ask him to wear anything glittery or sparkly… He’d have to go shopping though… Magnus gave his boyfriend another wide grin and moved in for another deep kiss, “Wait,” Alec said as they pulled apart, his eyebrows furrowed, and Magnus felt his heart sink a little, did Alec change his mind so quickly? Was he pushing too far with the ‘no black’ rule? 

“Yes darling?” He said with his best disarming smile, hoping Alec won’t go back on his promise so soon, 

“Now that I’ve said yes, to all your demands, does that mean I don’t get a romantic dinner?” Alec wondered, trying to keep a serious face on, but failing when he saw the wide relieved smile Magnus was sporting. 

“Of course you do, darling,” Magnus practically purred with a wide grin, running his hands shamelessly over his boyfriend’s back, “You just name the city and we’re there.” Alec’s smile was wide enough to light up the whole room. Dating this warlock was the best decision he’s ever made! 

The next morning Isabelle walked into Alec’s office only to find her brother engrossed in his tablet, looking stern and worried. 

“Everything alright, big brother?” She asked lightly, hoping this wasn’t something serious- she had a ton of work in the armory and she just wanted a couple of minutes to herself before she returned to it, and feeling generous enough to go ask Alec if he wanted coffee before she set off to get her own. She definitely did not have the time for a demonic crisis! Alec’s head snapped up when he heard his sister’s voice and much to Isabelle’s surprise his cheeks flushed bright red instantly, well that was interesting. With a leering smile she sauntered over to to Alec’s desk, “Are you watching porn during office hours?” Because really, only Alec could look suffering while watching porn... Alec’s flush deepened as did his scowl, without a word he turned his tablet towards his sister. Isabelle leaned curiously over the desk to see what making her brother so worried. 

“Is this… Pride?” She asked, trying to fight the urge to smack Alec, seriously? A bunch of people with rainbow flags was making her brother look more scared than an entire hoard of shax demons? Alec nodded, still looking morose, 

“Magnus says he’s going every year and asked me to come with him.” Isabelle lifted her eyes to meet Alec’s, “I said yes.” 

“You’re going to Pride?” Isabelle’s eyes lit up like stars, her brother, her very own brother- the very definition of grumpiness and the absolute opposite of fun was going to Pride? “That’s amazing, Alec!” 

“Is it?” Alec asked rather miserably, yes he said he’d go and sure that yes had earned him one of the best nights of his life- not only the excellent dinner in Rome but also the mind blowing sex back home afterwards, but still… From the pictures he’d seen of Pride there were too many people, too many colors and just too much of everything. And who knew there were so many parades all over the world? This was pure madness! “I don’t even know why Magnus cares so much...” Isabelle sighed and rolled her eyes, her fingers flying across the tablet’s surface before she returned it to Alec, 

“These are pictures from the Stonewall riots, back in June of 1969,” She explained as she showed her brother the black-and-white photos, “This is actually what had started the whole Pride Parade movement. Do you recognize anyone?” 

“Oh my god,” Alec cried after a short study of the picture, pointing to a figure at the back, “That’s Magnus!” Isabelle nodded, a soft smile on her lips. When Alec had first came out to her, well, more like didn’t deny it when she confronted him with the subject… she had started to research the history of the gay community, knowing that Alec was never going to. First she tried looking into the shadow world gay history but she sadly realized there wasn’t any- nobody talked about being gay or anything related to gay culture until Alec’s botched wedding. It was depressing as hell so she moved on to mundane history- at least they had one! Most of the things she learned saddened her deeply, and she understood better why Alec chose to retreat deeper and deeper into the closet, but nevertheless she had hoped one day someone will come along and pull him out. She was so glad it was Magnus. 

“Yeah, he was there from the beginning, he was fighting for LGBT rights from the start,” She said, sounding very proud of her would-be-brother-in-law-someday-if-her-brother-didn’t-do-anything-stupid, “That’s why he’s so passionate about the parade. You going with him must mean a great deal to him.” Alec sat in silence, studying the pictures. Magnus had been there from the start, he was part of mundane history even if they didn’t know it. And he had asked Alec to go with him, and Alec now understood better the magnitude of it. A chill caught his spine at the thought of what would have happened if he had said no, Magnus would have been crushed! 

“Thanks, Izzy, for showing me this.” Alec said, now more than ever determined to go to Pride and actually enjoying it. He looked up at his sister, a little shocked to see her all sparkly eyed and barely containing her mirth, 

“Can I come with you guys?” She asked eagerly, “I’ve always wanted to go to Pride and I finally have someone to go with!” Alec wanted to roll his eyes, seriously why was everyone so eager to go to a stupid parade? 

“Sure.” He said with a shrug, who was he to deny his sister from going? Besides, if Izzy was there, there was a lot less of a chance that Magnus would try to engage him in dancing… Because he’s seen video clips, there was going to be dancing- in the street! Isabelle actually squealed happily at his response, reaching over the table and pulling him into an enthusiastic hug that nearly chocked him before she jumped to her feet, 

“I gotta tell Clary!” She cried and practically ran out of the room, before Alec had a chance to object this turning into a group hangout… Damn it!

The rest of the week passed rather uneventfully. Alec and Isabelle decided to do the decent thing and ask Jace if he wanted to come, but the frightened look on the blond’s face quickly convinced them there wasn’t going to be a yes anywhere there so they left it be. Though for the rest of the week Alec got weird looks from his parabatai as if he betrayed Jace’s trust by going to Pride. Alec decided to ignore him, he wasn’t going to let Jace ruin his special day with Magnus.

The good news of the week were that he did manage to go shopping, though Isabelle found out and insisted on accompanying him. At first Alec was very much against the idea but as soon as they hit the shops he realized how much in over his head he was and was actually quite grateful for his sister’s help. To her credit, Isabelle did not insist on replacing his entire wardrobe or force Alec into something horrid. She stuck to the plan of getting a shirt and a pair of pants that were not black and for that Alec was grateful. 

Magnus, on his part, was still trying to find the perfect outfit for Pride, but luckily he decided to use other people’s help rather than baffle Alec with anything fashion related. He knew his boyfriend all too well after all. Besides, Alec seemed to be keeping his none black new clothes from him so Magnus didn’t even feel bad about not including Alec in his choices. It was actually kind of exciting, getting to see each other’s outfits for the first time on Sunday. 

On Sunday morning Alec woke up to a soft hand caressing the side of his face. He blinked his eyes open and gave Magnus a sleepy smile, 

“Good morning, Alexander.” Magnus whispered, trying to contain his excitement for Pride so that he won’t spook Alec with it, but he’s been up for almost an hour now and his patience was running out, so he decided to actively wake his log of a boyfriend,

“Happy Pride, Magnus.” Alec smiled lazily back, he had actually worked up quite a want to go and be part of Pride, especially since Izzy, Clary and even Simon couldn’t stop talking about it all week. Magnus’ smile widened, 

“Happy Pride, darling.” He replied and moved closer to close the distance between them and give Alec a proper good morning kiss. “I’m so glad we’re doing this, it’s always better when you’ve got the people you love around you.” Alec felt something in his chest tighten, every time Magnus said something like that he was reminded of Magnus’ words when they only met- for almost a decade I closed myself off to feeling anything. It still hurt Alec to think that Magnus spent so much time unloved. 

“Are Madzie and Catarina coming too?” He asked, trying to bring his excitement back. He’d have loved to have Madzie there! 

“No,” Magnus intoned sadly, “Catarina is worried Madzie will be spooked by all the people and lose control over her magic.” Even though Magnus had promised Catarina so many times that they were all going to watch over Madzie and not let anyone or anything too close she was still wary. Deep down Magnus could understand her, after everything that Madzie had been through she was still having trust issues and throwing her in the middle of all those people could be dangerous. For them. 

“Yeah, I can definitely relate…” Alec said in a grave voice, rolling onto his back. Magnus looked at him with a frown, 

“Alexander, are you… sure you want to go?” He asked cautiously, hoping that Alec was still in, even if he was only pretending to care. It would be a real blow if Alec decided to stay home in the last minute. Alec turned his head towards Magnus, sensing the change in the other man’s tone and saw the worry etched in Magnus’ features. With a soft smile he leaned over to place a soft kiss on Magnus’ forehead, smoothing the worry lines, 

“Yeah, I’m actually quite excited about this.” He announced happily, though Magnus still looked like he didn’t completely believe him. Alec turned onto his side again so he could face Magnus and look him in the eye, “It feels kind of weird, but also good, you know? I wasn’t even out a couple of months ago and now I’m going to a place where I’m actually celebrated for being out… I feel like it’s some sort of a… rite of passage, does that even make sense?” 

“Oh, young nephilim…” Magnus sighed with a soft smile and Alec rolled his eyes, as he always did when Magnus pulled his ‘I’m a centuries old and very wise warlock’ act on him. “But you do have a point,” Reaching over Magnus caught Alec’s hand and laced their fingers together, “Coming out is always hard, trust me, I’ve done it enough times to know… and having a supportive reaction from people around you is really important.” Alec nodded somberly, for years he was so scared of what people- and mostly his family would say when they found out, only to discover no one cared about his sexual preferences. It was both humbling and a huge relief at the same time. “And Pride is one huge ass acceptance party!” Magnus finished happily, glad that Alec was finally getting into the spirit of things. 

“I’m just glad I’ll have you there, and Izzy.” He said with a smile. 

“And Clary and Simon…” Magnus reminded him and Alec wanted to roll his eyes again, sure there were going to be tons of people around and they were probably going to lose Clary and Simon in the crowd soon enough but it still felt a little like they were butting in on his thing, which he knew was completely ridiculous since Clary had told him she and Simon had been going to Pride every year since they were 15. 

“Why are they even coming?” He asked with a little pout, mostly to get it out of his system before they actually showed up, 

“To support us, of course.” Magnus immediately replied and this time Alec did roll his eyes. Magnus chuckled, he knew exactly what Alexander was thinking and it was amusing as hell, “OK fine, they’re coming because it’s the best street party in town,” He agreed, “But by coming they are supporting us.” Alec sighed, knowing Magnus was right- even if the straight people that showed up for Pride did it only for the music and the party they were still there and supporting. It was a good thing. 

“I guess.” He finally admitted. Looking up at Magnus’ beautiful cat eyes he smiled softly, “Do we have time before they come?” A wolfish smile spread on Magnus’ lips and before Alec had time to say another word Magnus rolls him over onto his back and launches at him, quick as a pouncing cat, 

“Yes,” He practically purred, “But we’re going to have to be quick so no foreplay and no cuddling afterwards!” Alec, by now, was almost whizzing with breathless laughter. Oh, he would have loved to have a little Magnus action thrown his way but the fact that people were about to show, not to mention his sister, meant he was in no way ready for it. 

“Magnus!” He cried out, trying to look and sound stern and failing completely, “I meant time for breakfast!” Magnus sighed dramatically and rolled off his boyfriend. Well, can’t blame a warlock for trying… 

Soon they were both sitting in the kitchen, still in their sleeping clothes, and Magnus conjured some of his mean Belgian waffles, which Alec had to admit were pretty mean indeed. Throughout breakfast Magnus regaled him with stories of past parades and with every story told Alec could feel his excitement growing. This was their day, he kept telling himself, this was his day! This was his rite of passage and he wanted it more and more with every passing second, to the point his foot began to jump on its own, hardly able to suppress his smile. 

When breakfast was over Alec decided to go and get dressed. He needed something tangible to do and, to be honest, he needed a couple of minutes alone because the intensity of his feelings was scaring him a little. Besides, Izzy was going to come over soon and the last thing Alec wanted was his little sister catching him in nothing but boxer briefs. Pulling the bag of his new clothes from his satchel he changed into them with a smile. He was true to Magnus’ rule and there wasn’t a speck of black on his clothing, which made him feel a little strange at first but when he checked himself in the mirror he realized he didn’t mind so much. Ever since he met Magnus he felt like he was shedding an old, restrictive, very much suppressed skin and with every passing day, and with every smile and gesture of love Magnus showed him he was learning to love his new butterfly self more and more. 

Stepping out of the bedroom he found Magnus dancing around the living room, the ends of his silk robe swishing softly around him. It seemed like Magnus was also unable to contain his exhilaration for the upcoming day. When Magnus turned to see his boyfriend he stopped dead on his tracks, simply staring at the man in front of him and causing Alec to feel very self conscious all of a sudden. Magnus hated his outfit, he just knew it! Well, knowing Magnus he couldn’t really blame him, it was dead boring. After all it was pair of classic light blue jeans and a T-shirt in a shade that Izzy called ‘Egyptian blue’ and Alec was in no position to contradict her. It was too little, too plain, Magnus was never going to let him leave the house like this… 

Alec was pulling at his shirt, trying to think of what to say when lifting his head he suddenly realized that Magnus somehow managed to sneak up to him so silently that Alec was actually startled to see the warlock standing right in front of him. Magnus looked up at his boyfriend, his cat-eyes glowing and Alec felt a shiver run down his spine, OK so maybe Magnus wasn’t totally hating his clothes… When Magnus suddenly stopped, grabbing Alec’s chin and peering closely at his boyfriend, 

“Why are you squinting?” He asked, his voice laced with worry, and Alec shrugged, trying to control the twitching of his eye, but it was hard, his left eye was killing him! “Are you wearing make-up?” Magnus’ voice changed to awe and Alec shrugged again, feeling embarrassed and stupid, 

“I… I thought you might appreciate it, so I stole one of Izzy’s pencils, but I think I did it wrong because it really hurts!” He practically whined, that will teach him to try and impress Magnus with make up! A slow smile spread on Magnus’ lips and he grabbed Alec’s hand, leading him to the nearest armchair and pushing him to sit. Before Alec had time to register what was going on Magnus hopped gracefully and sat himself comfortably on his boyfriend’s lap, turning Alec’s face gently towards him. With a soft flick of his fingers he got rid of Alec’s poor attempt of beautification, to which Alec was immensely grateful when his eye stopped throbbing. 

With another flick Magnus summoned one of his eye pencils to him. Lifting Alec’s chin gently he ordered the shadowhunter to look up as he carefully applied the eyeliner. Alec sat quietly and let Magnus manipulate his face- the sight of Magnus’ complete concentration was beyond adorable and Alec knew he only did it the mundane way so that he’d have more excuses to touch him. Not that he was complaining. When Magnus was done he looked at Alec critically and when he deemed happy with the result he conjured a small mirror and handed it to Alec, 

“Wow...” Alec breathed out, blinking and checking his eyes from every angle he could, “My eyes look huge!” Magnus rolled his eyes and grabbed the mirror from Alec’s hold, tossing it behind his back and making it disappear into thin air before it smashed on the floor, 

“Stop eye fucking yourself in the mirror and let me do that instead!” He practically growled. Alec wanted to roll his eyes but before he had a chance Magnus was kissing him deep and heavy with arousal. When he pulled back slightly, they were both panting heavily, “Let’s forget about Pride,” Magnus purred, his voice low and husky and his hands roaming all over Alec’s torso. Damn he was a genius! Forcing Alec to wear something other than black was such a stroke of brilliance on his part! And the make up was just the cherry on top of this most delicious cake! “I want you in bed, wearing nothing but eyeliner for the rest of the weekend!” Alec could feel his face heating up, both at Magnus’ tone and his sultry words. 

“Yes...” He breathed out, completely forgetting what their plans for the day were, because the sight of Magnus’ cat eyes burning with such intensity and hunger was too much for him and he wanted everything Magnus was offering. His hands were already pushing the silky material of Magnus’ robe from his shoulders when the loud chime of the doorbell pierced the heavy atmosphere of desire, followed immediately by a loud knocking, indicating whoever was on the other side of the door was quite impatient. 

Magnus sighed heavily as he gracefully pulled his robe back onto his shoulders, slipping from Alec’s lap and not a moment too soon because Alec jumped up, his eyes wide with fear, looking like a deer caught in the headlights and if Magnus wasn’t completely pissed off about the interruption he’d have found that look very comical. Alec took a couple of deep breaths and smoothed his shirt, running his hand through his hair and trying to calm himself. He knew damn well who was at the other side of the door so any arousal he was feeling was pretty quickly dwindling to nothing. Having your baby sister show up while you’re trying to get it off worked better than any cold shower ever will. 

“Happy Pride!” He turned and forced a smile as he watched Izzy, Clary and Simon pile into the loft, looking all jovial and merry. Izzy made a beeline towards her brother, delighted to see he didn’t back down and actually put on the cloths they chose together. She gave Alec an enthusiastic hug before she pushed him away to arm’s length to get the full effect. 

“Are you wearing eyeliner?” She asked with glee before he expression turned suspicious, “Did you steal one of my pencils?” Alec swallowed, 

“No! It’s Magnus’!” He cried, trying to will any blush away. Before Isabelle had a chance to pry further into his supposed theft he glared down at her, “Is this what you’re wearing?” He asked, sure his own outfit wasn’t anything too fancy but knowing his sister she would never show up anywhere public in her pajamas… Izzy rolled her eyes at her brother,

“Of course not, silly!” She chided him softly, and Alec was very proud of himself for managing to dodge a sticky situation, as she and Clary brought a pair of those big rectangular covers for clothes from behind their backs, “Clary portaled us here, so we can get ready here.”

“Come on!” Clary urged as she grabbed Izzy’s hand and pulled the other girl towards the guest room, both of them giggling loudly as they disappeared through the door. 

“Well, it looks like I should probably get dressed as well.” Magnus said with a sigh, walking over towards the bedroom he didn’t miss the opportunity to run his hand lightly over Alec’s front, much to Simon’s amusement. 

“You do look hot today, eyeliner suits you.” Simon told the frankly mortified Alec as he made his way to the sofa. “What? I can appreciate male hotness.” He argued somewhat defensively, not that it made Alec feel any more comfortable. “I guess now that I’m immortal I should probably start expanding my horizons, right? I mean, like Magnus says- why limit yourself?” When he caught the incredulous glare Alec was sending him he tried to backtrack, in a very Simon-ish way, “Well, it’s not an exact quote but he’s got a point, I mean if I can’t die why stick to one thing when I can have everything? And what better time to start then Pride? I think my goal for today would be to find myself a man!” Simon chirped happily and Alec raised an eyebrow at him, which made the vampire’s smile waver a little, “What? I can get a man! Some guys dig the whole nerdy look! I’m going to get myself the biggest, beefiest man around!” Simon quietened down for a second and Alec found he was counting under his breath, it was never more than 3 before Simon’s absolute lack of brain-mouth filter talk picked up again, “Do I even like them big? Maybe I should start small… And what the hell do I do with them? I need you to tell me everything about gay sex! Right now!” Alec wasn’t sure what he wanted more at that exact second- stake Simon or just toss him off the balcony rail. Seriously, who keeps inviting this guy to everything? 

“Alec, look!” Luckily his sister’s voice behind him was the perfect distraction and he turned to look at her and Clary standing there beaming with pride at their outfits, and he had to admit- they were right to. Both girls were wearing the same style dresses- with a flowing skirt and a tight bodice and a plunging neckline that Izzy easily filled better. Clary’s dress was done in red, orange and yellow vertical bold stripes which matched her makeup and the floral arrangement in her hair, while Isabelle’s dressed was done in green, blue and purple so that when the two stood next to each other they completed the rainbow flag. Alec had to admit he found this very cute and touching but he wasn’t about to say that out loud, of course. 

“Simon, you’re not ready!” Clary cried when she spotted Simon lounging on the sofa still in his jeans and white T-shirt. The boy in question jumped up and reached for his satchel pulling out a waistcoat made of a shiny fabric whose front was done in diagonal stripes of rainbow flag over and over again. If any of this was meant to make Alec feel under-dressed it was failing bad- he was never the type to stand out and the fact he forgo his usual black was already a huge step so no, he wasn’t about to put any sort of rainbow anywhere on him! Walking over to where Isabelle was standing he pulled his sister into a tight hug, whispering into her hair, 

“You look amazing! I’m so glad you’re doing this with me.” Isabelle smiled into his chest and hugged back, trying to combat the prickling feeling behind her eyes, she was so proud and happy for her brother she honestly feared her heart might burst with every smile Alec gave today. 

“I know, me too.” The bedroom’s door opened with a bang and Magnus’ cheerful voice called the attention of the room to him, 

“Fear not children, for I am here at last.” Alec turned to look at his boyfriend and found his heart tripling its pace in an instant. Magnus was… Damn! Alec’s eyes were devouring his boyfriend unashamedly. Magnus was wearing a powder blue tank top, fitted in all the right places, and a skirt. A fucking skirt- and Alec had to admit, if only to himself, that he’d been wrong all these years. Skirts were sexy, it only depended who was in them... Magnus’ skirt reached his mid thighs and was made from three horizontal lines, in pink, purple and blue which Alec knew by now represented the colors of the bisexual flag. The look was completed with purple highlights in Magnus’ hair and matching glittery make up, and a pair of combat boots, that were high on Magnus’ ankles but still left quite a lot of his legs exposed and damn… 

“Wipe your mouth, Alec, you’re drooling.” Alec could hear his sister’s cheerful voice but chose to ignore her completely. Nothing existed for him in that moment except Magnus and his beauty. Alec was completely transfixed by his boyfriend, taking in everything from his make-up to his hair to the way his body shimmered to the amount of exposed skin. Surely Magnus shouldn’t be allowed out of the house like this! 

“Should we maybe go ahead and leave those two alone?” Simon asked, almost squirming with the sexual tension in the room. Oh, he could feel it alright, smell and practically taste it, heightened senses and all. He gently pulled at Isabelle’s arm to get her attention but her eyes were focused on the pair in front of them, and he was unable to read her expression. 

“I don’t know,” She mused softly, her tone protective and amused all at once, “It looks like Magnus is planning to do very bad things to my brother...” Simon rolled his eyes, seriously?

“Yeah well, it doesn’t look like your brother has any objections.” He could hear Clary giggle at his left and didn’t even have to turn his head towards her to know she was blushing. Simon wanted to yell at the two men that they were making Clary uncomfortable but the truth was, they were making him uncomfortable! This was not fair, why couldn’t he find someone who would look at him like those two looked at each other? 

“We are still very much here.” Magnus mused almost lazily as he finally broke the trance and came to wrap his arm around Alec’s waist, facing the rest of the people in the room. “Trust me dear Isabelle, when I say that I only do very good things to your brother. You should see some of the ideas he comes up with...” 

“OK!” Alec snapped, finally brought back to reality and trying to salvage the situation because the spark in Izzy’s eyes indicated she was more than willing to push this conversation to the limit and knowing both his little sister and his boyfriend this will not end well for him! “That’s enough! Can we get going already?” Because the sooner they went to Pride the sooner they could come back and then he’d be able to act upon all those wonderful ideas that kept coming to him from the second he saw Magnus in a freaking skirt!

“Not so fast!” Magnus declared, heading towards the kitchen island, making sure his hips were swaying for Alec’s enjoyment, and torment. “Gather round children.” He invited them with a soft wave of his ring clad fingers. When they were all standing around the island he waved his hands again, blue light sparkling and conjured six little bowls full to the brim with a creamy substance that had a slight orange hue. 

“What the hell is this?” Isabelle inquired, picking up her bowl and sniffing it carefully, “It smells like oranges.”

“The orange is for the taste,” Magnus explained, “This is a sun balm of my own invention, we are going to be in the sun for long hours with lots of skin showing, no need for anyone to get sunburned.” He said with a wide smile as he pushed two of the little bowls towards Clary who pursed her lips and sent him a death glare while the others tried to hide their smiles behind their own bowls. “Drink up!” Clary lifted the first bowl to her lips, her eyes never leaving Magnus and drank it in a rather defiant manner, and then quickly gulped down the second, not letting Magnus have the satisfaction of being right. Everyone followed her example, including Simon who put down his empty bowl and it took him another couple of seconds to realize what he had just done, 

“Oh no!” He cried, looking at Magnus with terrified eyes, panic building and spilling over, “Why did you let me drink this? I’m a vampire, I’m not suppose to drink anything but blood!” He cried, as if he was sharing new information with the group, “What’s going to happen to me?” He cried miserably, for pit’s sake all he wanted was to go to Pride, not disintegrate into dust because of a stupid sun balm! “Magnus!!! Am I going to die? Oh man, I’m going to die, I can feel it… And I know, I’ve died once, I’m going to die and turn into a small pile of dust and you guys are going to have to explain all this to my mum and…” 

“Sheldon stop!” Magnus cried, laying his hand on Simon’s shoulder, his eyes still racking over the panicked vampire’s form to see what the effects of his potions will do, but apart from making Simon panic there didn’t seem to be any change in the color of his skin or the solidity of his flesh so Magnus allowed himself a small smile- this was indeed a very interesting outcome and he was glad he was able to test it, even if he did cheat a little and let Simon imbibe it without telling him anything first. “You’re going to be fine!” He assured Simon, breathing slowly and forcing the panicking teenager to follow his example. Slowly Simon realized he was still there, with all his limbs attached and no visible ramifications and started to relax. “You’re going to be just fine, but don’t count on getting a tan.” 

“Oh, I never do.” Simon told him happily, now that the scare was over and he was back to his old babbling self, “When we were young Clary and I were the only kids never to be allowed out in the middle of the day, remember that Clary?” The girl in question nodded, still looking amused, “We were forced to stay in and play...” Simon suddenly realized he was the only one talking and that both Lightwood siblings were giving him exasperated looks which he knew by now meant they wanted him to shut the hell up. Gulping loudly he tried to smile at the shadowhunters gathered around him, clamping his mouth shut and looking down sheepishly. Magnus gave him a benevolent smile and raised his hands again, making the bowls disappear and replacing them with five shots- four with clear vodka and one with yellowish plasma. 

“To Pride!” He cried happily as he raised his shot glass, the others echoing him as they all brought their glasses together before each downed their portion, everyone wincing at the taste, except Magnus of course, who even had to audacity to smack his lips with satisfaction. “All right, now we’re ready to go!” He announced with a big grin and opened a portal, grabbing Alec’s hand and pulling him towards it. Alec grabbed Isabelle’s hand and she grabbed Clary, who at the last second managed to grab Simon, making him amble behind everyone ungracefully into the portal.


	2. Chapter 2

Stepping out of the portal the first thing Alec noticed was the noise. Even though the parade itself hasn’t started yet the streets were filled with people who were all talking and laughing and music was pouring from what seemed to be all around them and the whole thing was a cacophony of noise. Alec took a deep breath and tried his best not to let this get to him, because right now all his Shadowhunter senses were on high alert and his mind was instinctively cataloging all the dangers- of which there was no shortage and he did his best to calm and tell himself there was no danger and that everything was going to be fine and that he was meant to have fun! He saw Isabelle smiling at him, and he smiled back, knowing his sister was having the same thoughts as he- only Isabelle was more in the habit of partying and going to crowded places so she knew how to handle this better than he did. Before he had a chance to say anything both Clary and Simon grabbed Isabelle’s arms and started pulling her towards the crowd, taking at a mile a minute on either side of her and disappearing in the midst of people within seconds. 

“Are you alright?” Alec could feel Magnus’ hand slipping into his and squeezed his fingers gratefully. He had no doubt that if he said he wanted to leave Magnus would take them home in a heartbeat and never look back, but that was the whole point of coming here and Alec found the excitement building up in him. This was it, this was Pride and looking around him he could see all the colors and all the flags and people were happy! Couples of two men, two women and everything in between were milling about with smiles on their faces and the atmosphere was getting to him. Turning around he wrapped his arms around Magnus’ waist, smiling broadly at his boyfriend, 

“Everything is great.” He assured the man and could practically see the relief washing over Magnus’ features. Leaning over Alec captured Magnus’ lips in a soft kiss, his heart practically soaring with the knowledge he was welcome to. Sure, he’d kissed Magnus in public before, but at the time not too many people were happy with it- least of all his parents. Now, now it was his privilege and joy and he relished that. 

Their kiss was interrupted by someone knocking into them, but before Alec had time to tense in case they were hostile the people who had bumped into them carried on walking, waving their flags and laughing and he realized that while he was busy making out with his boyfriend, the crowd around them grew considerably thicker. Taking Magnus’ hand in his he used his considerable hight to try and spot a place that wasn’t as populated. Magnus took it all in stride and just let Alec pull him wherever he wanted. This was his jam and he loved every second of being here, and more than that- he loved having Alec there with him, so if going to a less crowded spot was what will make Alec feel better than he was all for it. 

They stood together, holding hands and just looking at the crowd around them. Magnus hadn’t pushed into getting closer to the barrier so they’d be able to actually see the parade and for that Alec was grateful. It was already so much, and just being here and standing in the outskirts of the crowd was enough to fuel his excitement, he really didn’t need to squeeze himself with thousands of sweaty bodies just to see other colorful people marching by. 

“Hello gorgeous.” Alec lifted alarmed eyes to see a man standing directly in front of him. He was almost as tall as Alec but about twice as wide, with a full chestnut colored beard sparkling with glitter and a yellow dress, complete with a tutu. On his chest he had a big bear paw sewn of silver sequences. Alec tried to give a small smile, though he found the man’s appearance a little baffling but tried not to show it- this, after all, was the place to be yourself, even if yourself meant wearing a tutu and a beard. The man smiled bright at Alec and held up a condom for him to take, 

“Oh, I don’t really need...” Alec knew he was blushing. For pit’s sake, he wasn’t a virgin anymore, and thank you very much Magnus, so why was he blushing and stuttering like one by the sight of something he didn’t even use or need? Seriously, what was wrong with him? 

“Oh, I’ll bet you’re going to need some tonight, honey.” The man assured him with a wink and shoved the condom into Alec’s hand. Alec was about to protest when he suddenly realized that while he was distracted by the man, his friends had joined them, circling him. And he could tell they were his friends because they were all burly and bearded and wearing the same style dresses, though each one had a different color and there were six of them in red, orange, yellow, green, purple and blue. Each of them was passing in front of Alec, offering him a condom as they practically danced around him in a circle. The poor shadowhunter soon found his hands full and had to lift the edge of his shirt to create a makeshift hammock for all the condoms, which he saw the men produced from little wicker baskets each was holding. Alec tried desperately to tell them to stop but he soon realized it was futile so he just stood there, craning his neck to try and spot Magnus behind the mens backs, hoping his wayward boyfriend will help him out- though he suspected Magnus was standing somewhere close laughing his head off at Alec’s misery. Some boyfriend he turned out to be!

Suddenly the men stopped their dancing around him and Alec looked suspiciously at them as each pulled a little straw and brought it to his mouth. He just had time to squeeze his eyes and mouth firmly shut before he felt the glitter being blown his way, sticking to every exposed piece of skin and to his hair. After a little while he dared to open one eye and then another, realizing the six men had moved on to their next victim. He could catch glimpses of them through the crowd, dancing their way clumsily between the people. When they turned their backs he could see each had a pair of tiny translucent wings on his back, truly they were ridiculous! Now that the men were gone he could finally see Magnus standing not far from him, accompanied by Isabelle, both of them wiping happy tears away, bastards! Walking over to them Alec tried to keep a hold on his load of condoms, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do with all of them. 

“Now you look like Pride!” Izzy crooned happily as her brother came over, looking like he dipped his head in a bowl of glitter, but with his usual frown which kind of ruined the effect. 

“Here, take these!” He told his sister gruffly as he tried to give her the condoms he was holding, 

“What am I going to do with them?” She asked, rather sensibly and Alec cursed their angel blood, damn it! If he and Magnus didn’t have magic and runes he’d be very pleased to save so much money on condoms, but as it stood- he didn’t have any need for condoms and he was stuck with a shitload of them right now! Alec was about to huff at his sister for her lack of help but in the end decided against it. He was in too good a mood to ruin it by yelling at Isabelle. Instead he turned around and walked over to the nearest couple, plastering his most convincing smile and holding up two condoms, 

“Hey guys, Happy Pride!” He called and offered them the condoms. The two returned the smile and took the condoms happily, one of them even dipping his hand into Alec’s shirt to grab a couple more, winking at the tall man. Encouraged by his success Alec continued his round, greeting people warmly and offering them condoms. Most took them with glee, some asking for more and very few declining. The good will was catchy and it didn’t hurt to get a couple of free condoms and soon Alec was left with a single condom without a taker. After a short consideration he pocketed the last one- the glitter will wash off but this was a tangible reminder of his first Pride. Plus, he was kind of curious to see what it felt like to actually use it. 

Returning to where he left Magnus and Izzy he found the two dancing quite enthusiastically to an upbeat music that was playing nearby. Other Pride goers were already joining in to what was threatening to turn into a full blown street party. When Magnus spotted Alec walking over he stopped and opened his arms, 

“Alexander!” He yelled happily and Alec smiled, closing the distance between them and pulling Magnus in with both hands on his neck. Smashing their lips together he did his best to rub his face against Magnus’, swallowing the warlock’s breathless giggles, before he pulled back, looking at his boyfriend with satisfaction. “You are being very naughty!” Magnus chided his boyfriend, to which Alec replied with a wide grin, 

“This is fun!” He claimed happily before turning his attention to his sister. Running a hand through his hair he brought out a fistful of glitter and started advancing. Isabelle planted her feet firmly and crossed her arms over her chest, looking every bit the warrior she was, 

“Don’t even think about it!” She growled lowly, but before she could add anything else Alec pounced, grabbing her shoulder with one hand and running his glittered hand over her face. Isabelle shrieked in indignation. Oh, that meant war! “You are a dead man!” She yelled at her brother before launching herself after him. Alec ran around Magnus to hide behind his boyfriend’s back, laughing so hard he was losing his balance a little, while Isabelle tried to figure out the best way to get to him, her own laughter bubbling. Magnus stood in the middle, trying to roll his eyes at their antics but the truth was, he’s never seen Alec act so jovially and childlike and he loved it. 

“Hey guys, what’s oomph...” Simon, who had just joined them with Clary, suddenly found the air knocked out of him by Isabelle who ran full force into him. The vampire’s lightning speed reflexes caught Isabelle before she lost her balance. Peering closely into her face Simon gasped, 

“You’ve been glittered!” Isabelle rolled her eyes, abandoning her chase for now, knowing she would be able to get a much better revenge later, 

“Yeah, it’s his fault!” She cried, pointing at Alec who was still hiding behind Magnus like the little coward he was, and had the sheer audacity to smirk at her. 

“Actually, Alexander is the one who was glittered,” Magnus explained calmly, “We are just collateral damage.” 

“I can’t believe the bears found you!” Simon scoffed and pouted, “I’ve been looking all over for them!” 

“Who?” Alec asked, feeling he was very much out of the loop, especially when Clary nodded and even Magnus seemed very much amused by Simon’s words, he would confer with his sister but he had a feeling she’d give him the same annoying look as the others even if she had about as much knowledge about this as he did, just because she was mad at him right now. 

“Big, burly guys in tutus and beards, giving out condoms and shooting glitter at people- you know, the Glitter Bears!” Simon explained exasperatedly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Alec nodded somberly, 

“Yup, sounds about right.” Simon’s face fell, a little part of him still hoped that it wasn’t the bears and that Magnus somehow decided to gay up Alec’s look. But with Alec’s confirmation his hopes were dashed. It was really, really unfair- he’s been trying to get glittered for the past three years with no success and now Alec, the newest newcomer in the area who practically had ‘Pride Virgin’ tattooed on his forehead was being glittered like it was an Olympic sport. Damn it! 

“What’d you do with all the condoms?” He asked, not bothering to mask the bitterness in his voice. A part of him was hoping Alec had asked the bears what they were, just so that he’d be mocked a little, 

“I handed them out to those who would actually use them.” Alec replied calmly. The time he’s already spent here today had change something in him and he realized he wasn’t afraid anymore. The carefree, vibrant atmosphere was making him feel happy and unbothered. It was a totally new feeling for him but he tried to savor as much of it as he could, knowing that tomorrow he’d have to go back to being a responsible shadowhunter. For now, though, he was the guy who got glittered and who glittered both his boyfriend and sister, quite successfully too! 

“Rumor has it they used to hand out pot brownies,” Clary said, her voice dropping a little lower in a conspirator-like manner, as if someone would be able to hear her, or care, “But they were told to stop and so they moved on to condoms.” 

“No way!” Simon objected and it was clear from his tone this wasn’t the first time they’ve had this argument. Both of them turned to Magnus to judge, and the warlock found himself between two very expectant teens who were waiting for him to decide, and he actually found himself contemplating whether or not to tell them the truth. But luckily for him both Simon and Clary were too impatient to wait for his answer and continued to argue between them. Meanwhile Isabelle tried to sneak up to her brother, which she found almost disappointingly easy since he was too busy staring at Magnus’ ass in the skirt he wore, when something caught her eye, 

“Hey,” She said, touching Alec’s arm and the tall man actually flinched, cursing himself for not paying attention to Izzy. After all she promised revenge and no one in their right mind would turn their backs on Isabelle Lightwood in a situation like that! But Izzy wasn’t even looking at him, she was staring at someone and pointing, “Is that Jace?”

Alec looked to where she was pointing and frowned. The guy did look a lot like Jace, same blond haircut and similar height, but his face was half turned away so it was pretty hard to say for sure. Looking quickly around him he pulled his stele from his pocket. Izzy pressed herself against his side, hiding him from view as he discreetly ran his stele over his parabatai rune. The suspected Jace, who was standing on his tiptoes trying to see above the crowd suddenly turned towards them, his face going from surprise to relief in an instant. Pulling the arm of the guy next to him he started making his way to where Alec and Izzy were standing, looking very amused. When Jace finally made his way over, he was looking annoyed at the many people he had to elbow through, while Andrew Underhill, who he was pulling along looked giddily happy.

“Happy Pride!” He called at the group, causing everyone to smile and return the greeting, 

“What are you guys doing here?” Alec asked, it wasn’t like Jace showed any readiness or want to come here before, which was why he had left him in charge of the institute while he and Izzy were out and he was pretty sure Underhill was supposed to be Jace’s second. He briefly wondered who was left in charge of the institute but in the end decided he was not going to ruin his perfect day by worrying. Hopefully Jace was responsible enough to give out orders. 

“By the angel!” Underhill said, his voice laced with wonderment as he looked around him, completely ignoring Alec’s question, “I’ve never seen so many naked butts in my life!” Next to him Izzy snorted, 

“None of us did.” She deadpanned and looked around their group. Everyone was nodding in agreement, but Magnus looked almost guilty, rubbing the back of his neck, “Except Magnus apparently…” The warlock’s head shot up, but instead of looking at her he gave Alec an almost pleading look, 

“Well, I’ve been around for centuries, you see things! You see naked butts!” He cried, shocked by his own willingness to defend himself. He didn’t actually care what those little chits thought of him or his past but he know Alec had a tendency to get upset by mentions of it. But instead of looking like he wanted to break something Alec just gave him a soft smile, pulling him in for a soft kiss that was more like nose rubbing but made Magnus smile wide. Damn he was so glad he insisted Alec come to Pride with him! 

“Jace! You know you don’t have to try and physically merge with me…” Clary’s voice carried out annoyed as she tried to pull herself away from Jace who was indeed clinging to her like a lifeline. “Nobody around here thinks you’re gay!” Jace looked around him, 

“Everyone is staring at me!” He huffed, his voice as low as he could make it so that he’d still be heard over the crowds. Izzy rolled her eyes, giving her brother a none too friendly poke, 

“That’s because you’re the only idiot who wears a leather jacket in this heat!” Jace’s immediate response was to pull his heavy leather jacket tighter around his body, as if it was an armor to separate him from everyone else, but after a little while he seemed to actually ponder this, looking around him and finally realizing the dress code did not include much leather, and if it did it was definitely not in a jacket form. Closing his eyes briefly and taking a deep breath he reached a decision and rolled his shoulders backwards, letting his jacket drop from his frame. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the heavy coat but Magnus signaled with his fingers and the rest of the group closed ranks and pulled into a tight circle, hiding the fact that Magnus quickly banished Jace’s jacket with magic. Jace quickly cast a glamour on himself to hide his runes, and looked around him. It was amazing how quickly people stopped noticing him now that he was dressed with jeans and a plain white T-shirt. It was like he was almost invisible in the crowd- which Jace found pretty weird since he wasn’t used to blend in unless he had his glamour on. He wasn’t at all sure he liked it. 

Lifting his head to comment on that he found all his friends had drifted a little way off and were happily dancing. Magnus, Izzy and Clary seemed to be in some kind of a dance off with a couple of girls who looked very sporty and very much in love. Simon was dancing with the largest woman Jace has ever seen, seriously she was way taller than even Alec and her hair was crazy big! Come to think of it, Jace pondered as he looked at her arms, so were her guns. Was it possible… Shaking his head to himself Jace decided to ignore the two, especially the way Simon’s eyes were alight as he craned his neck to look into his dance partner’s face. Not far from there Underhill was also dancing, which in itself was weird because hello, they were shadowhunters, they did not engage in that sort of behaviour! But what was more concerning, for Jace anyway, was how close he was with his dance partner, arms wrapped around each other’s bodies, faces tucked close as if they forgot the rest of the world existed. Since when was Underhill allowed to have sexuality? Jace shook his head again and turned to look at his parabatai, knowing that at least Alec would not spring surprises at him, and sure enough, the man was standing next to him, his lips curved in a happy smile, 

“You’re happy.” Jace said. It wasn’t a question, it was a simple statement of facts. Alec did look happy, his smile growing wider and turning into a full laughter, his head shaking softly, and Jace followed his gaze to see him doing his best to refuse a dance invitation from both Magnus and Izzy. Though up close Jace could see the minute movement of Alec’s shoulders, it was almost as if he was trying to suppress the dance inside him. Interesting.

“Yes, I am.” Alec replied simply. It wasn’t like he could actually deny it. Or that he wanted to. He wasn’t even looking at Jace, his eyes glued to his boyfriend and his fluid movements. By the Angel, if he could spend every second of his day watching Magnus dance he’d be the happiest man alive. Jace stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, not bothering to hide his grin, 

“Like ‘first time sex’ level of happy...” That seemed to pull Alec from his trance and Jace’s grin turned into a satisfied smirk. He hoped the day Alec stopped feeling embarrassed about his sex life never came. Alec blushed, finally turning his eyes away from Magnus to try and glare at his shameless parabatai. 

“Oh, for… why are you even here?” He snapped, though his voice lacked venom and Jace shrugged, 

“All this happiness was driving me crazy.” Alec tried to will his blush away but he had a feeling it was only intensifying. He couldn’t help it. “People were giving me weird looks at the institute because I wouldn’t stop smiling…” This actually made Alec smile a little, it was nice to know they could influence each other this way. Usually the strongest feelings they shared were fear, anger and sadness, so happiness was definitely a welcome change. “So I grabbed Underhill for protection and came to see what all the fuss was about.” Jace finished with a happy grin and Alec found himself returning it. It’s been a while since he’d seen Jace being this silly for no reason. It was a good look on him. 

“I’m… I’m really glad you’re here.” He finally says, knowing that getting into an argument about Jace’s being irresponsible would ruin both their moods and deciding he didn’t feel like doing that. Besides, he really was happy to see Jace there, going to Pride for the first time was a really big deal for him and whatever Jace’s real reasons for coming were, he was just glad his parabatai was here with him. And not looking suffering! “Thank you.” 

“Anytime, man.” Jace answered quietly, grabbing Alec and hugging him tight, the two sharing a quiet bonding moment in the middle the Pride chaos and Jace knew he had made the right choice to come here today. He was curious, he had to admit, ever since Alec told him he was going, though he never thought he’d actually end up here in person. Alec’s infectious happiness sure helped him get here and he couldn’t say he regretted it. Their hug ended rather abruptly when Magnus somehow managed to worm his way between them, wrapping himself tightly around Alec from under his arm. Jace took a step back, acknowledging this was Magnus’ turf and claim. Lately, he realized, he found himself more and more accepting of Alec and Magnus’ love. The insane feeling of Alec one day asking him to annul their parabatai rune was lessening as time passed and he was able to truly be happy for his brother for finding the love of his life. 

“I’m hungry!” Magnus complained with a small pout, making Alec chuckle and roll his eyes. He didn’t even have to look down at Magnus to know there were puppy eyes involved. 

“Yes!” Jace cried before Alec could say a word, “I could definitely eat!” Alec wanted to roll his eyes, Jace was always hungry no matter the time or place. It shouldn’t really count! 

“So what do you say we move this party somewhere with food,” Magnus asked, his eyes focused on Alec, trying to decide if he should insist on leaving or letting Alec enjoy the party a little longer. “And then we… can head home…” He added with a little wriggle of his eyebrows, was it cheating? Yes, definitely. Was he sorry? Hell no! 

“Hmm, I like this plan… “ Alec purred back. Yes, Pride was fun, and yes he was definitely coming back next year, but the thought of having Magnus all to himself in the privacy of Magnus’ loft was too much to pass on. “This way I can finally find what you’re wearing under that skirt…” Magnus’ smile broke sunny and happy at Alec’s suggestion, 

“Oh, you’re in for a couple of surprises, Alexander…” Magnus’ grin was swallowed by Alec’s enthusiastic kiss, the two of them pulling each other close and forgetting all about the world outside their cocoon of love. A loud wail brought them back to reality and they looked at Jace who had his hands over his ears dramatically,

“Ahhh! Too much information! Too much information! Izzy, Help!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. 
> 
> HAPPY PRIDE 2019!! 
> 
> This year is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and I hear New York City is planning the biggest Pride parade ever. If you’re going- have fun and stay safe.


End file.
